father
noun
a man who begets offspring; a male parent.
father
American
[fah-ther]
/ ˈfɑ ðər /
noun
-
fathers
plural
-
a man who begets offspring; a male parent.
-
Often Father one’s own male parent.
When we were kids, Father read to us regularly.
My father is visiting us next week.
-
a father-in-law, stepfather, foster father, male adoptive parent, or male guardian.
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Usually Father a term of address for a male parent or a man having or regarded as having the status, function, or authority of a male parent.
How are you, Father?
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any male ancestor, especially the founder of a family or line; progenitor.
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a man providing care or exercising influence or authority like that of a male parent.
The late professor was a father to all his students.
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the qualities characteristic of a father, such as paternal affection, protectiveness, responsibility, etc..
He had been quite a rake, but his newborn daughter quickly brought out the father in him.
-
a man who has originated or established something.
Freud is often called the father of modern psychology.
The founding fathers of America took care to separate church and state.
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an early form; forerunner or prototype.
The horseless carriage was the father of the modern automobile.
-
one of the most well-known or prominent men in a city, town, etc..
There was a scandal involving several of the city fathers.
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Chiefly British. the oldest living or serving member of a society, profession, etc.
-
a title for something personified as an older or elderly man.
Father Time.
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a term of familiar address for an old or elderly man.
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Theology. Often the Father
-
the Supreme Being; God.
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Christianity. the first person of the Trinity.
-
-
Also called church father. Church History. any of the chief early Christian writers, whose works are the main sources for the history, doctrines, and observances of the church in the early ages.
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Ecclesiastical.
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Usually Father a title of reverence, as for church dignitaries, officers of monasteries, monks, confessors, and especially priests.
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Often Father a person bearing this title.
He is a father in the Catholic church.
-
-
Roman History. fathers, conscript fathers.
adjective
verb (used with object)
-
fathers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fathered,
past participle, past
-
fathering
present participle
-
to beget; be the father of.
He fathered seven children over three marriages.
-
to be the male creator, founder, or author of; originate.
-
to care for or protect like a father; act paternally toward.
He’s always fathering me and checking the oil in my car.
After Dad died, my uncle fathered my brother and me.
-
Archaic. to acknowledge oneself the father or originator of.
He would only father the novel if it became popular.
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Archaic. to assume as one's own; take the responsibility of.
-
Archaic. to charge someone with the begetting of.
Do not try to father the boy on me.
verb (used without object)
-
fathers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fathered,
past participle, past
-
fathering
present participle
father
1
British
/ ˈfɑːðə /
noun
-
a male parent
-
a person who founds a line or family; forefather
-
any male acting in a paternal capacity
-
(often capital) a respectful term of address for an old man
-
a male who originates something
the father of modern psychology
-
a leader of an association, council, etc; elder
a city father
-
the eldest or most senior member in a society, profession, etc
father of the bar
-
(often plural) a senator or patrician in ancient Rome
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informal a very large, severe, etc, example of a specified kind
the father of a whipping
verb
-
to procreate or generate (offspring); beget
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to create, found, originate, etc
-
to act as a father to
-
to acknowledge oneself as father or originator of
-
to impose or place without a just reason
Father
2
British
/ ˈfɑːðə /
noun
-
God, esp when considered as the first person of the Christian Trinity
-
Also called: Church Father. any of the writers on Christian doctrine of the pre-Scholastic period
-
a title used for Christian priests
father
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fathersimple
-
fatherssimple
-
have fatheredperfect
-
has fatheredperfect
-
am fatheringprogressive
-
are fatheringprogressive
-
is fatheringprogressive
-
have been fatheringperfect progressive
-
has been fatheringperfect progressive
Past
-
fatheredsimple
-
had fatheredperfect
-
was fatheringprogressive
-
were fatheringprogressive
-
had been fatheringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of father
First recorded before 900; Middle English fader, Old English fæder; cognate with Dutch vader, German Vater, Old Norse fathir; akin to Armenian hayr, Greek patḗr, Irish athair, Latin pater, Persian pedar, Sanskrit pitar-
Explanation
The verb father means to make children. If your dog, Tramp, fathers three puppies with the neighbor's dog, Lady, he is their father. A father is a male parent. Everyone has a biological father, even if they're not raised by him. You might call your father Dad, Daddy, Papa, Pops, or even Father. A man who helped found something, or invent it, can be called the father of that entity or invention. George Washington is considered a father of the United States, and Alexander Graham Bell is often referred to as the father of the telephone.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Dan's father, Nigel, told the BBC it was a "miracle".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Her father had told her: “We are russky,” or ethnic Russian.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
One grief-stricken father showed AFP a picture on his mobile phone of his young daughter, dressed in red and gold, who lost her life.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Alexa Ray Joel shared a positive health update on father Billy Joel in advance of a tribute event.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
He tried not to picture his father on the Death Journey.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Father Mark Mannion said he's seen an influx of people coming into St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church since the news broke.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
A couple of years ago, in a column about Father Greg Boyle, I noted that he is quite particular and even a bit preachy about the right way to eat a steak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
He most recent book is “Liberty’s Grid: A Founding Father, a Mathematical Dreamland, and the Shaping of America.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Bra Steve is the local organiser of Father A Nation, a non-profit that works with men and boys to promote positive masculinity and help end violence against women.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
By late 1944, however, Father Julien has abandoned the charade.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Similarly, we both embrace holy tradition, including the Bible, the church fathers and the seven ancient ecumenical councils, and we venerate the cross, Mary, saints, icons and holy relics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The show’s big themes are personal, not political: identity, love, loss, fathers and sons, family freedom, connection and being “real.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
"Much like the father in the story, my own dad... was an accountant, but he quit his job to grow tomatoes. So it kind of touches on both of our fathers," he told BBC Newsday.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
For example, among those aged 30 to 34, the death rate for Georgia fathers was 120 deaths per 100,000 men compared with 231 deaths per 100,000 among Georgia men who were not fathers.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
“It’s also a tremendous privilege, to be a full-time parent. Not all mothers or fathers get the chance to do this.”
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
Edgeworth’s interest in economics began with her father, Richard Lovell Edgeworth, a charismatic inventor and landowner who married four times and fathered 22 surviving children.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
It also delves into his personal life, including his difficult childhood and the 14 known children he has fathered with a series of women.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
It comes more than a decade after his marriage to Roh - the daughter of a former president - fell apart following the revelation he had fathered a child with another woman.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Some males fathered more calves than others, but the difference was not as extreme as researchers had expected.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2026
There Diokles son of Ortflokhos whom Alpheios fathered, welcomed the young men, and they slept the night.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
In 2015 he admitted to fathering a child with his lover.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
There’s little airtight data on the fathering brain; cohorts are small; some results await replication while others confound analysis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Even decades later, the legacy of whaling continues to shape whale populations, affecting not only how many whales exist today but also which males succeed in fathering calves.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 5, 2026
He was investigated at the time for embezzlement and fathering several children, but was later cleared of the charges.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2025
And Leon had not done so badly either, with his four marriages and dedicated fathering.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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